It's Where My Demons Hide
by sammysmissingshoe
Summary: "You get out of him, right now!" Sam charged towards the demon inside Dean, but Castiel put his arms out as a barricade. "Sam, that is Dean." Dean flashed an eerie smile, black eyes glistening with hate. "Heya, Sammy." Demon!Dean fic! Set in season 9 after Dean gets the Mark of Cain. These are the potential consequences. T cuz of Winshester's getting saucy... And bloody.
1. Look Into My Eyes

Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who saw my last story! This isn't related to that one at all so you don't have to read it for this one to make sense. I got this idea from a picture I saw on Facebook, it was Dean with demon eyes and the caption was the dialogue from the description. Being the dark story line lover that I am, I IMMEDIATELY wanted a fanfic about it and I thought, "Why not me?" The title (not surprisingly) comes from a song. "Demons" by Imagine Dragons. Each chapter title is gonna have lyrics from that song in them. There are probably other stories like this one and if you know any or have written one, let me know! I'd love to read it. Sorry if ya'll don't like Evil/Demon!Dean and or Angry/Hurt!Sam, but that's what I got in store for ya! The hellatus is just a good time for fanfiction, writing or reading. The story is set after they find Cain's blade, and kill Abaddon. (Future Fic).

* * *

"Adios, Bitch." Dean growled as he yanked Cain's blade from Abaddon's chest. Her face sparked to a glowing orange as her head twitched back. She fell to the ground with fire red hair spilling around her dead eyes.

Dean stood up taller, victorious.

"Well… Guess that means the campaign's over." Crowley joked looking down at Abaddon's lifeless body.

"Dean," Sam breathed out in relief, "You did it."

"Yeah, now we just gotta take care of-" He stopped midsentence as a sudden burning sensation coursed through his arm. Dean dropped to his knees rolling up his sleeve to reveal Cain's mark beaming red. He groaned excessively and fell to his back as spasms began to wrack his body.

"Dean? Dean!" Sam rushed to his flailing brother. "Hey, talk to me, man! What's happening? Dean!"

Dean's thrashing suddenly stopped and Dean's eyes flew open. Sam's mouth gaped and he back away.

Dean's eyes were deathly black.

Sam's breathing intensified heatedly. "You get out of him, right now!" Sam charged towards the demon inside Dean, but Castiel put his arms out as a barricade.

"Sam, that _is_ Dean."

Dean flashed an eerie smile, black eyes glistening with hate.

"Heya, Sammy."

Dean waved his hand causing Sam to fly backward into the wall.

"Dean," Sam's voice shook with fear and disbelief, "What the hell's going on?"

Dean chuckled maniacally and his eyes turned back to their normal colour, but all humanity was vacant from them.

"Well, I don't know about you boys, but I'm out." Crowley snapped his fingers and vanished.

"Sam, we need to get out of here." Castiel said with a hint of fear seeping through his voice.

"No! I'm not gonna leave him!"

Castiel approached Sam and extended his hand. "I'm sorry, Sam."

"NO!" Sam hadn't even finished the word before Cas zapped them back to the bunker.

Sam spun towards the angel and glared.

"Take me back! Now!"

Castiel looked pitifully at Sam.

"Sam, I can't."

"Yes you can damnit! I can't leave him, now TAKE, ME, BACK!"

"Sam, he will kill you if he sees you again."

"No he won't! He's my brother!"

"Didn't seem to stop him from flinging you into a wall." Crowley pointed out as he appeared in the room.

Sam whipped his head to the new voice. "What do you want Crowley?" he spat.

Crowley raised his hand and snapped his fingers. All three of them were suddenly transported to an old, abandoned building. Sam's eyes darted around his new surroundings.

"What the hell was that about?"

"Oh nothing much, just saving your ass."

Sam cocked his head at Crowley and Crowley rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll elaborate. I'll use small words so you can be sure to understand. Little Deanmon knows everything Dean does, considering it is Dean, which includes your little hiding place. This way, he'll have no idea where you are.

"Which is where?" Castiel asked.

"Let's focus on the more important matter at hand for now, Cassie."

"In that case, "Sam hissed, "How bout you tell me what's wrong with Dean."

"Ah, right." Crowley sighed as he leaned casually into a table and placed his hands in his pockets. "Well, remember Deany boy killing Abaddon?"

Sam huffed out an irritated breath. "Yeah, it rings a bell."

"No need to get so touchy."

Sam stepped towards Crowley, but Castiel put a hand on his arm and pulled him back.

"Anyway," Crowley continued ignoring Sam's gesture, "Once ginger here kicked the bucket, there were no more knights of Hell left."

"Well that was sort of the point." Sam retorted.

"Samuel you mind not disrupting the class while I'm teaching?"

Sam opened his mouth to argue, but slowly closed it and bit the inside of his cheek.

"Thank you. Back to the point, Hell always needs at least one knight. Once Abaddon was dead, the runner up took her place."

"'Runner up?'"

"Forget Moose, maybe I should call you parrot." Crowley muttered as he rolled his eyes. "You see, the mark of Cain is kind of like a family crest, or like, a ceremonial crown for the next of kin. When the captain dies, first mate takes his place."

Sam's eyes widened to the point of bulging out of their sockets. His breaths turned shallow and shaky. He ran up to the demon and grabbed him by the collar and shoved him into the wall.

"You son of a bitch!" Sam shouted, rage oozing out of him. "You knew this would happen! This is your fault!" He emphasized his words by slamming Crowley's head into the wall as he shook him.

"Oh, don't get so emotional, I'm trying to help you."

Sam waited a minute longer before letting go. Crowley brushed himself off.

"Never thought you to be one to get so handsy, Moose." He put his hands back into his pockets. "Yes I knew this would happen, but it was necessary. The only person who could kill Abaddon was the one who bore the mark of Cain. Not my fault big brother was idiotic enough to do it."

Sam started to run towards him again, but Crowley held out his hand and froze Sam in place. Sam tried to speak, but no sound came through.

"Stay." Crowley commanded pointing one finger at Sam. "Listen, I can get your brother back."

"How?" Sam asked frantically, finding his voice again.

"Well, technically it's Cain who can get him back. We find him, and Winchester fun size goes back to normal. See, simple as that."

"Oh yeah, cuz finding Cain was the simplest thing last time!" Sam snapped.

"I did it once, I can do it again. After all, I am, undisputedly, the King of Hell."

"If you are so powerful now, "Castiel said suspiciously, "Why are you so willing to help us?"

Crowley smiled in a way that was just so, Crowley. "Without you boys, regrettably, I wouldn't've been able to stop Abaddon's pathetic scramble for power. Now that I'm in charge, I don't like the idea of being in anyone's debt, especially not a Winchester's. So, I figure, I help you out one last time, and after that, you boys are fair game. So," He said as he casually strode over to Sam and stared up at him, "Do we have a deal?"

Sam anxiously balled his hand into a fist and huffed out a breath.

"Fine."

Crowley chuckled. "Not gonna make me kiss you, are you?"

* * *

Sorry Dean fans, I know there wasn't a lot of him in this chapter, but there will be plenty soon. I hope I've made Demon!Dean seem logical and that I explained everything well enough. Second chapter is well on its way! Let me know what you guys think so far!


	2. Hellbound

Let me start off by saying, I'm so sorry for what I do in this chapter. I was in a bad mood when I wrote it, which is great for writing the villains, but someone had to pay the repercussions so… _David Tennant voice, "_I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." Brace yourselves for some scary Demon!Dean.

* * *

"Oh, Sammy…" Dean cooed to the recently empty bunker. "You know you can't hide from me, kid. I know everything about you."

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out Cain's knife. He tossed it in the air and caught it by the handle. He then slipped it back into the inside of his jacket.

"Can't have you walking around with this now can I, Sammy?"

He raised his hand to snap himself away, when the sounds of a door opening stopped him. His eyes darted towards the top of the stairs, were a head of flamboyant red hair bounced to him.

"Charlie." Dean showed eagerness in his voice, but for all the wrong reasons.

"Ya miss me, bitches?" She teased as she calmly walked down the stairs. "Oz was epic by the way! You should totally check it out sometime, now that it's clear of all flying monkey problems. They're really not as cute as they sound." She looked around the room. "Where's Sam?"

Dean chuckled and shook his head. "He left."

"What? What happened?" She put a concerned hand on Dean's shoulder, oblivious the potential danger she was in. Dean resisted flashing his eyes black as he recalled the events.

"Sammy was dying, so I tricked him into being possessed by an angel, who also saved your ass, by the way. Sam found out, pitched a fit, and ran off."

"_Well, when you put it like that…" _He could almost hear Sam's defensive voice in his head.

"Wow. Angels. Any luck with those yet?"

Dean laughed heartily bordering on scary. "Nah, let them hash out their little civil war. I've got more important things to do."

"Like what?"

Dean grinned and subtly gripped the knife in his jacket.

"Like making a call."

Dean yanked the blade from his pocket, and without even blinking, he slashed it across Charlie's throat. She made a sickening gurgling noise as she choked on her own blood.

He casually walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl. He strode back over to Charlie's lifeless body and let the blood pour into the bowl. He began reciting an incantation, when the door to Oz opened again and Dorothy stepped out.

"Hey, Charlie, you forgot your ruby red-" Dorothy's eyes snapped open to the scene in front of her. She scrambled for the gun in her waistband, but Dean was faster. He flicked his wrist and her neck twisted sharply to one side, a repulsive crack following the motion. She dropped to the ground.

Dean shook his head in mock sympathy.

"It's rude to interrupt." He scolded the unmoving corpse. He restarted the incantation and the blood started simmering.

"Hiya, Crowley!"

* * *

"Okay, so what do we need?" Sam asked.

"Well, for starters we-" Crowley suddenly snapped his eyes shut and held his head like he had a hangover.

"Crowley?"

"Hush, I'm getting a call."

Sam paused listening for any noise.

"No you aren't."

"Not that kind of call you imbecile. Got any blood I can borrow?"

Sam just glared at Crowley.

"Less of course, you want me to bite you again."

Sam exhaled an annoyed breath. He bent down and retrieved the small knife he kept strapped to his leg. Crowley reached over and snatched it from him. He grabbed Sam's hand and Sam hissed as the blade cut across his palm.

"Ah, geez, Crowley!" He said shaking his bleeding hand.

"Like you haven't had worse." He mumbled as he took out a cup he'd left sitting on his table. He brought it over to Sam and squeezed his hand, the blood lightly flowing into it.

Sam pulled it back after the goblet started glistening red.

"Oh, c'mon, don't be such a baby."

Sam scoffed. "Don't pretend you didn't enjoy that."

Crowley chuckled and stared into the cup as Castiel waved his hand over Sam's. The wound vanished and Sam flexed his hand instinctively.

The blood began to bubble and Crowley alone heard Dean's voice.

"_Hiya, Crowley!" _

"Good to hear from you boy, how's life as a bloody knight of Hell?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "_Even now Crowley still has time to be a sarcastic ass." _He couldn't hear what Dean was saying, but he figured he was being just as snarky. _"Kinda like the _real _Dean."_

"_Kinda lonely ____being the last one and all_," Dean's voice had almost a childlike innocence, despite the gruesome things he talked about,_ "but the power's pretty awesome. Seriously, didn't even flinch when I took that bitch's blood for this little call. Probably would've killed her anyways."_

"Charming." Crowley pursed his lips. "What can I do for you Deanmon?"

"_Cute, Crowley. Just hand over Sam and I'll be glad to leave you alone."_

"Now why would you do that, squirrel?"

"_Cuz at the moment, I got no problem with you. You do what I ask, and I'll wipe our slate clean. We can both be free to roam around and kill to our heart's content. Nobody gets hurt… Well, between the two of us, anyway."_

"Tempting offer, really, but, demon or not, no way I'm working with a Winchester again." He gave a suggestive wink to Sam who just scowled at him.

"_Then how come you're working with Sam?"_

"Who says I was?"

"_C'mon Crowley, you think I'm an idiot?"_

"On a good day."

"_Don't screw with me Crowley. I still don't have a reason to kill you, yet. You give me Sammy and neither of us has to see each other again. But, get in my way…"_

"Even when you were a half decent hunter, you didn't scare me. You've not really changed, except, your sudden desire to kill baby brother. What's that all about, hmm?"

Sam's head shot up and he swallowed nervously. Taking a guess at what Dean was probably saying made him grateful he couldn't hear him.

"_Oh, so you suddenly care about some petty sibling rivalry? How sweet of you, Doctor Phil, but it's none of your business what I want with Sammy._

_C'mon, with him dead you and I got nothing to worry about. Sure there's other hunters, but when's the last time they ever caused us any trouble? So, once Sam's done for, you and I can go our separate ways."_

"Well, you do make a good point, but on the other hand… Bite me."

He waited for a response, satisfied not hear one. He assumed Dean was too pissed off to answer.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

* * *

Like I said I'm SOOOO sorry for killing Charlie! I love her and I hope they never actually kill her in the show. I just had to keep Demon!Dean busy or else he might find me. I hope I'm keeping true to everyone's character okay. I really like writing for Crowley! His sassiness is fun to put into words. Working on chapter three right now so expect an update soon guys, even though i had a hard case of writers block and lack of motivation. No particular reason for it, just losing ideas. 'Ill get over it soon enough though. Thanks for reading! (Chapter three has a lot of Comforting!Cas so if that's your style, that's the chapter for you!)


	3. I Wanna Shelter You

Like I said at the author's note at the end of the last chapter, this one has a some of Comforting!Cas and Guilty!Sam. I had kinda a hard time writing this one so sorry if it seems a little disconnected from the other two. I like writing the action filled chapters more than the mushy ones. Anyways, here ya'll go!

* * *

"_Note to self…" _Dean's inner thoughts muttered, _"Add 'skin Crowley alive' to my to do list. Doesn't matter. Probably would've ganked that little pain in the ass anyway. Now, I have reason to. In the meantime…" _He toyed with the knife and grinned wickedly. _"I've thought of a few ways to pass the time."_

* * *

"What did he want, Crowley?" The angel asked.

"Oh, just a little business proposal. I give him Sam with a bow on top, and he leaves me be. It would almost be insulting if he weren't so adorable."

"What did you tell him?" The angel asked.

Crowley raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Didn't you hear me? I said 'no' genius."

"Are you sure?" Castiel said boring his eyes into Crowley's.

Crowley sighed. "Look, Cassie, if I wanted Sam dead, I'd do it myself. I don't need some low-life demon doing it for me. No offense to Dean of course."

Sam's nose flared and his hand twitched.

"No need to be so overprotective of you pets." Crowley mumbled.

"How bout you just get the stuff for finding Cain?" Sam snapped.

"Love it when a man takes charge."

Before Sam had a chance to retort, Crowley had vanished. Sam ran his fingers through his ever growing hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sam, are you doing okay?"

The hunter let out a shaky, broken laugh. "I'm working with the King of Hell, there's a demon trying to kill me, and that demon happens to be my brother. Do you think I'm okay?"

"Sam," Castiel started, "We will get Dean back. Don't give up."

"I'm not giving up, Cas, it's just… Why is it always Dean? Even when I was possessed by Lucifer, he was the one who paid for it. My whole life, he's done nothing but protect me and everyone around him. I left to go to Stanford, but Dean stayed behind with dad. I was being a selfish bastard while he was saving people's lives. If either one of us deserves this, it's me."

"Sam, you and Dean have _both _sacrificed enough already. Dean went to hell for you, yes, but you have done your fair share of sacrifices too. The trials, saying yes to Lucifer, jumping into the cage, neither of you deserve this."

"He saved my life, Cas. I didn't even thank him, Hell, I left him again. I was being too much of an ass to realize how hard it must have been on him too. He knew I'd be pissed if I found out, which is exactly why he didn't tell me. And that's just what I did. I shut him out, and look what happened. If I had been there for him-"

"Sam, listen. Yes, both of you have messed up, but that's what being human is. Even when I was an angel, I still made mistakes. Being human, I realized that there is no escaping from the fact that everyone will make mistakes. The Winchesters aren't an exception."

Sam smiled weakly. "Thanks, Cas."

"Am I interrupting something?" Sam and Castiel jumped at Crowley's sudden arrival. "Should I leave you boys a moment to hug it out?"

"Did you get the stuff or not, Crowley?" Sam spat.

"Course I did. Have you met me?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm asking." Sam scoffed.

"When have I ever not been successful?"

"Well there was that time you tried to crack open purgatory, getting kidnapped for the trials, having to use a hunter to kill Abaddon, and remind me… How many times have you tried to kill us?"

Crowley cocked his head. "Point taken. But yes, I've got it."

* * *

"Please, please don't kill me." The girl begged softly. Tears ran down her beaten face like a flowing river and landed on her bruise littered and lacerated chest.

"Shhhh." Dean whispered as he used the knife to brush her blond hair behind her ears. Strangled sobs echoed throughout the room as he finally thrust the blade through her heart. "It's over now." He said with a sweetness that could freeze Hell over.

Dean casually wiped the blood from the knife onto his shirt. This had become habit after the sixth person he'd brutally murdered. He thought it would be good practice… For Sam.

"_Where to go next?" _He pondered. A malicious smirk formed on his lips. _"How bout a nice little visit to my buddy Cain? Sammy's probably thinking the same thing. Poor Sammy, he thinks Cain is gonna help him and bring back big brother. Maybe I should meet him there." _

Dean snapped his fingers.

* * *

Cain's head shot up from his plate of corn to the new visitor.

"Winchester," Cain said smugly. Dean sneered and his eyes changed to soulless black orbs. "You seem different. Lemme guess, new outfit?"

Dean chuckled as his eyes went back to their normal shade. "New me actually, thanks to you."

"Thought you might enjoy it. What can I do for you, Dean?"

"Well, from one knight to another, I'm really not willing to give all this up."

Cain scoffed. "You'll grow out of it."

"Maybe someday, but for now, I want to make sure _nothing _can change me back. I have a feeling you're the only one who knows how."

"True." He said as he began to stand up. "It's the mark, it'll keep you from turning human again. Once you're through with being a knight, you'll have to pass it on, or no knight will take your place."

"Believe me, I don't plan on that happening anytime soon."

"See, it's things like that why I chose you. As soon as I met you, I knew you had a lot of potential for making one hell of a knight, no pun intended. Glad to see you're living it up."

"So just hold on to the mark, and I'm safe?"

"Yes, and as long as you have the blade, no one and nothing can kill you either."

"Awesome."

Dean suddenly heard a noise that made his heart jump with anticipation. The Impala's engine roared in front of the house. After waiting a few moments, the door swung open and three familiar figures stepped through it.

Dean grinned. "So glad you boys could make it."

* * *

Sorry if this one seems kinda awkward. I was having some trouble putting my ideas into words so that's why i kept jumping around. The next one has a lot of Sam vs Demon!Dean. By 'vs' I mean Sam getting his butt kicked cuz we all know he's gonna refuse to hurt his brother. If by some miracle I can drum up enough funny ideas for Crowley, Cain and Castiel, there should be some comic relief there. Featuring, Crowley sass, Cain sass, and Cas sass… hehe Cas sass rhymes… Thanks again for reading!


	4. The Ones We Hail

So here's my attempt to have some Demon!Dean, Hurt!Sam, and Sassy!Crowley/Cain/Cas. And when I put a slash between them, I DON'T mean like couple slash. I just didn't feel like typing sassy three times. Hope you guys like this!

* * *

Sam tried not to be afraid, he didn't want to be. Not of his brother, not even this version of him.

"Ya scared, Sammy? You should be."

Sam almost laughed at the cliché threat. _"After everything we've come across, you think the guy would know how to intimidate someone a little better."_

"You boys don't mind if I borrow Sammy, do you?" Dean asked with a devious smile playing on his lips.

"Fine with me." Cain said. "If anyone understands sibling rivalry, it's me. Do what you gotta do. I'll make sure our royal highness and trench coat over here are entertained."

Before any of them could register it, Dean popped up behind Sam, took hold of his arm, and they both vanished.

Dean, having done it multiple times before, landed on his feet. Sam on the other hand, was taken by surprise at the sudden transportation and fell backwards. He looked up at Dean and began backing away.

"Sammy," Dean said in a mock hurt voice, "Don't leave me now, we haven't even gotten started yet!"

Dean flicked his wrist and Sam flew to the other side of the room. His right side received most of the impact. He rubbed his now aching shoulder and wearily stood up.

"Dean," he said with a shaking voice, "Please, I know you're still in there somewhere, you gotta fight this."

Dean flung Sam into another wall. His back his hardest this time and knocked the wind out of him.

"Oh, I'll fight."

* * *

"Sam!" Castiel called frantically.

"Calm down angel boy, let the boys handle themselves." Cain mocked.

"What happened to you, Cain?" Castiel asked. "From the way Dean spoke about you, you were so helpful in defeating Abaddon's followers. What changed?"

"Who says I've changed?"

"You turned him into a demon."

"Oh, please." Cain scoffed. "Don't sell us knights short, we're much more powerful than regular demons, like Crowley here."

"Scuse me?' Crowley hissed.

"Well, you did have to rely on two hunters and an angel to stop her."

"Yeah, well who's the one that had a hunter take his place as Hell's most wanted while hiding out eating rabbit food?"

"Don't turn this into a fight, not when I'm the only one who can help you."

"Seems like you're already busy enough helping Dean."

Cain laughed as though Crowley had just told a joke. Crowley and Castiel glanced at each other in confusion.

"You really think I'm helping him? If I was, then why would I tell him that him holding on to the mark was the only way to stop him from turning back?"

"It isn't?" Castiel questioned.

"No."

"Why did you lie to him?"

"You saw what being a knight did to me. Even after hiding out for years, I still almost got myself killed last time I helped you boys out. Being a knight is a burden no one should have to bare. So, I decided, for the good of human and demonkind, that knights should cease to exist. As soon as I met Dean, I knew he was the one to do it."

"Why would you give that burden to Dean?" Castiel demanded.

Cain sighed sorrowfully. "When I met him, I knew he was special, he was like me."

The angel stepped towards him. "Dean is nothing like you. He is a good man."

"He's also an older brother that betrayed his younger sibling to save his life. Sound familiar?"

"Dean did not betray Sam."

"Sam apparently thinks otherwise."

Castiel huffed out an angry breath.

"Oh relax, it's a good thing. We couldn't do this without Sammy here. He's gonna be the one to end it all."

Castiel and Crowley exchanged wary looks and Crowley spoke up.

"Fine, what's little Sammy gotta do?"

"That's the spirit Crowley."

"Easy to make plans for someone who isn't around to object."

"Stop," Castiel commanded. "I still don't understand why it had to be Dean."

"Why do I have to explain everything?" Cain sighed as he rolled his eyes. "The mark was a sign of betrayal against my younger brother. Only way to get rid of it was by getting forgiveness from the one I'd harmed. Kinda hard to forgive when they're dead."

"I should get that on a t-shirt." Crowley kidded. "But seriously, forgiveness? Sounds a little too mushy to actually accomplish anything."

"It isn't quite that simple."

"When you're dealing with the Winchesters, nothing's ever simple."

"What else do we need to do to cure Dean?" Castiel asked.

"He has to _willingly _pass the mark to the one he hurt after being forgiven."

"Well," Crowley interjected, "that's all very touching, but how would that fix anything? If he gives the mark to Sam, we've just got another knighted Winchester to deal with."

"Shh." Cain hushed as he put a finger to his lips.

"Oh bullocks, not-" He didn't get to finish as his voice was magically stolen from him again. Castiel almost smiled. _"Dean must be rubbing off on me."_

"The mark symbolizes the betrayal," Cain continued ignoring Crowley's hissing noises. "When it's been passed on to someone pure hearted enough to overlook the pain they'd been caused, they can overpower the mark, and it will be destroyed."

"Now is that all?" Castiel asked hopefully.

"Not quite."

"_Of bloody course not." _Crowley wanted to say, but Cain kept him silent.

"Once Sam has the mark, he'll have to destroy it before it destroys him. And it'll put up on hell of a fight to stop him. Any questions?"

Crowley regained his voice. "No problem. I'm sure if Moose can take down the devil, one little stain won't stop him."

"If you're sure, then go right ahead, but you may want to hurry."

"Why?" Castiel asked.

"Well, while you boys have been asking all these questions, you're forgetting that you've left your only shot out of this mess with someone who would love more than anything to see his heart stop beating."

Castiel's eyes widened. "C'mon, we need to get to Sam."

Crowley chuckled. "Right behind you."

* * *

Dean finally released Sam from his invisible chokehold. Sam fell over gasping for breath, no longer having the energy to stand.

Dean made his way over to Sam and towered over him. Dean grabbed a fistful of Sam's hair and yanked him into a sitting position. Sam held onto the hands trying to lessen the grip, but he was too exhausted for it to have any real affect.

"Dean," Sam whispered. It was all his voice was capable of. "Please."

He chuckled and pulled out Cain's knife. He tugged Sam's head back harder exposing his throat and placed the blade teasingly against his neck. Sam's breathing hitched as he tried not to let the knife sink any deeper into his throat.

"I've done so much for you, Sammy. I died for you, but all you care about is how I tricked you into living!" Dean's voice grew louder and it made Sam shiver. Dean took a calming breath and gently traced the blade over Sam's chest. "Do you think if I cut deep enough, I could see your heart beating?"

Sam looked with tear filled eyes at his brother. He was more scared of leaving Dean like this, failing him, rather than dying.

"I'm just kidding, Sammy." He slowly pulled the knife away. In an instant, Dean pulled on Sam's hair again and forced his face mere inches from his own. "After recent events, I think we've established that you don't have one."

He suddenly put the blade back over Sam's heart. "But hey, maybe we should make sure."

Sam snapped his eyes shut against the pain of the tip of the knife dragging over his skin. He felt the blood trickle down his chest and stopped a scream as Dean dug the blade in deeper.

Sam didn't care. He didn't care that the angels were planning a civil war. He didn't care about Castiel and Crowley finding him dead. All he cared about was Dean.

All Sam wanted was for Dean to miraculously snap out of it. He wanted his brother to look him in the eyes and tell him it was all gonna be okay. But no, Dean, his brother, just kept slicing away.

He didn't even notice the flapping wings, or Dean shouting some smart ass comment to the angel and Crowley. All he saw was Dean smile cruelly, raise his hand, snap his fingers, and vanish.

With too many emotions swimming in his head, he had one lone thought before being claimed by darkness.

"_Dean…"_

* * *

Sorry this took me longer than usual to update. I currently have two other story ideas swimming around in my head so I kept trying to focus on this one, but it was proving to be a difficult task. I was seriously uninspired, but I took a nap today and as soon as I woke up, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this story. I was really stuck for an ending and every time I tried to think of one my brain just said "DEAN KILLS SAM AND GOES BACK TO NORMAL OUT OF GRIEF!" and I'm like "Shut up, that's a horrible ending! No more death I've already killed enough people already!" Hoping to wrap up this story within a few more chapters and I hope this was worth the wait!


	5. It's Dark Inside

So I've been done with this chapter for about three hours now, but my sister wouldn't let me on the computer so I was just sitting around with my hand written copy waiting to type it out. While I was waiting I ended up writing half of the next chapter. At least now there shouldn't be too long a wait for the next one. Without further ado, here's the next chapter! (With quite a bit of Cas and Crowley banter to start it off.)

* * *

"_Caught a break once Sammy." _Dean hissed. _"Don't expect to get so lucky next time…"_

* * *

"Sam!" Castiel ran to his unconscious friend's side.

"Oh, c'mon Cassie, let Moosey have a little nap." Crowley whined. "He looks like he just lost a couple round with a pissed off puppy. Which, to be fair, isn't that far off."

Castiel shot an annoyed look to the demon, and bent over next to Sam. He placed his hand over Sam's head, and Crowley followed the rustle of wings.

They appeared in a room familiar to Cas, but Crowley was confused.

"Where are we?"

"This apartment used to belong to an angel who went by the name April."

"'Used to?'"

"She is dead now."

"Aw, you're breaking my heart."

"No, after spending one night with her she killed me."

"Huh. Shame I missed that. Anything else happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you did say you spent a night with her. Wanna let me in on the details?"

"I assure you, nothing happened."

"Anyone ever tell you you're a horrible liar?"

"Several times actually, but I don't need to justify my actions to you, Crowley."

"Ooh, so there was action? Did dear old Cas finally get lucky?"

"Could you two shut up already?" A weary voice called. Castiel looked down at Sam. "You're worse than me and Dean."

"Sam, are you okay?"

Sam huffed out a laugh. "Thought we went over this."

"Are you _physically _okay?"

Sam snorted. "Well I'm a bit sore from getting stabbed, but I think that's probably normal."

"Sorry." Castiel apologized as he put his hand over Sam's cut covered chest. Sam's bruises from hitting the wall so many times vanished as well.

"Thanks, Cas." He said rubbing his head. Memories started flooding back into his mind. "Cas," he said disbelievingly, "Where's Dean?"

Castiel hesitated. "Sam, I'm sorry, but he-"

"What happened? What did you do to him?" Sam stood up quickly, too quickly and started to fall over. Castiel helped ease him back onto his feet.

"Cas didn't do anything, Sammy. Dean just popped off once we showed up."

"Where'd he go?" He asked Castiel. The angel just stared at him. "Cas, where is he? Did you lose him?!"

"No, Crowley will be able to tell exactly where he went."

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?"

"Sam," Castiel started, "You were exhausted, you still are. You were not ready to take on Dean."

"Yeah? Well, I'm fine now, so how bout we go after him?"

"C'mon, Sam," Crowley interjected, "Even _I _know that's exactly what Dean wants."

"I don't care! I'm getting Dean back with or without you. So you gonna help me or not?"

Castiel sighed. "We know how to bring Dean back."

* * *

Dean stared at the sloppily made hex bag.

"_Good luck finding me now, Crowley." _He picked it up and tossed it in the air. He caught it with ease and shoved it in the back pocket of his jeans. He was briefly concerned about Castiel's ability to find him, but he then remembered the Enochian carving on his ribs. He concluded that since he was hidden from Crowley, there was no way he'd be found. Unless of course, he _wanted _to be.

"_One more thing." _He pulled out his cell phone and set it on the table. He raised his fist and smashed the mobile. _"Can't have you tracking the signal, can I Sammy? Hmm…" _He thought. _"Maybe I'll need to contact you eventually if you're too stupid to find me yourself."_

Dean looked around the hotel room he was currently hiding out in. He peered out the window unaffected by the dark the nighttime caused. He grinned as he saw a drunken man fumbling with his keys in the parking lot of the bar across from the motel.

"Hey, buddy!" Dean called as he stepped out of his room.

"Wha?" The guy responded groggily. He nearly fell over as he lifted his head towards the new voice.

"Whoa, easy tiger." Dean helped the man steady himself. He tried not to burst out laughing at the irony of actually helping someone. Especially when it was going to be short lived.

"You got a cell? Someone who could give you a ride?"

The man nodded with his mouth hanging open. With trembling hands he held out the phone and squinted his eyes as he tried to remember how to use it.

"I got it." Dean said as he snatched the phone from his hands. He scanned through the speed dial, deciding to have an audience for his next show. Finally landing on the contact labeled, "Montgomery" Dean hit the send button.

"_Dad?" _The voice at the other end called.

"_This is gonna be good."_ Dean thought wickedly.

"Hey, Mongommry." The man's words slurred helplessly.

"_Dad, are you drunk again?"_

"Uh... Uh-huh." The man answered. Dean held back his laughter.

"_Hang on, Dad. I'm coming to get you. Where are you?"_

A sudden choking noise passed the man's lips as Dean shoved his hand through the man's chest. Dean could feel the man's heartbeat quickening in a desperate attempt to stay alive.

"_Dad? Dad! What's happening? Dad! Talk to me!"_

Dean practically drooled at the suffering he was causing the kid. He plucked the phone from the man's now lifeless fingers, not yet removing his hand from the guy's chest.

"Hey, Monty. Sorry, daddy's not feeling to well. He's having a little trouble breathing past all the blood in his mouth. You might want to send some help."

"_Who is this? What did you do to my dad?!"_

"He's outside the Bayside Village Motel. Make sure they bring a body bag."

"_What?!"_

And with that, Dean hung up his new phone.

* * *

"'Forgiveness?'" Sam clarified.

"I said the same thing." Crowley remarked.

"That is the easiest part. The more difficult task will be getting Dean to willingly transfer the mark to you." Castiel explained.

"Not to mention having to overpower the mark before it kills you." Crowley added.

"Thanks, Crowley." Sam said sarcastically. Crowley flashed a mocking smile. "How we gonna get Dean to pass the mark?"

"That will be challenging. Dean now believes that it is the only thing keeping him from returning to normal."

"Well, it kinda is." Sam pointed out.

"Regardless, the only way Dean would give it up was if we got through to his humanity somehow. I don't know if there's any way we could reach him, now that he is an all-powerful demon."

Sam looked down at the floor in thought. His head abruptly shot up.

"Yes, there is."

"What are you talking about, Sam?"

"The third trial!" Sam exclaimed. "Curing a demon! We know how to do it now!"

"Sam, we don't know if-"

"It worked on Crowley! If we could inject Dean with just enough of my blood to talk some sense to him, we could get him to give me the mark."

"Not a bad plan, Moose."

"Sam, wait. You just recovered from the after effects of the trials. There's no telling what may happen if you try this again."

"I got better last time."

"You had to be forcibly possessed by an angel to keep from dying, Sam. There's no way you would be strong enough to fight the mark's power in that state."

"Yes I will be, Cas, you know why? Cuz I'll be fighting for Dean. As long as I know I'd be keeping him safe, I'll try anything to save him."

Castiel sighed and lowered his head.

"Alright then," Crowley exclaimed ending the silence, "Let's catch us a knight."

* * *

After days of trying to figure out how to bring Dean back to normal without killing any main people, this idea FINALLY came to me. Note, I said MAIN people, so sorry for brutally murdering someone again. The fact that I say again just goes to show how messed up this show has made me. By the way, since I can't respond to anonymous reviews, shout out to Laura K and omg. Thanks for your reviews everybody! Hope ya'll like the twist with bringing back the third trial. You'll be hearing from me again soon!


	6. When Your Dreams All Fail

Listening to Carry on My Wayward Son while writing this is making me sad. I'll power through for you guys though. ;)

* * *

"Small problem." Crowley announced as he reappeared into April's apartment.

"Course there is." Sam groaned looking up from April's graciously borrowed laptop. "What is it?"

"It appears as though our Scarecrow has got a brain after all."

Sam waited for him to explain further, getting easily irritated when Crowley said nothing. "Care to elaborate on that?"

"Looks like out little Deany has made himself a hex bag."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I can't find him. Thought you were supposed to be the smart one."

"This makes things more difficult." Castiel stated.

"Great. Now what are we gonna do?" Sam ran his fingers through his hair as he leaned back in the chair.

"I believe that Dean is expecting for you to find him. He will likely leave a trail for you to follow."

"Don't suppose you mean a trail of bread crumbs." Crowley said.

"I was referring to a trail of bodies."

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Never would've guessed."

"This sound like a trail to you?" Sam asked as he turned the laptop upwards Castiel and Crowley.

"_Man's heart torn from chest."_

"Colour me impressed." Crowley said. "That takes some skill."

"Glad you're so entertained by a dead body."

"Well, I _am _the King of Hell."

"Whatever. The police found the security tape. Apparently it shows another guy reaching through the dude's chest and running off with his phone. They describe the killer around 5'11-6'1'' with brown hair. It's gotta be Dean."

"Are you sure, Sam?" Castiel asked.

"The killer was sick enough to call the guy's son and make him listen to the whole thing. Sounds like the kind of thing a knight would do."

"Where did this happen?"

"Uh," Sam leaned in closer to the computer and clicked the mouse. "Some town in Michigan called Grayling."

"Okay, let's get this over with." Crowley raised his hand to snap his fingers, but Sam stopped him.

"Wait. Dean will be able to tell you guys are coming."

"He will be able to sense you as well, Sam." Castiel reminded him.

"I know, Cas, but if we all go in there at once, he'll find us and try to take on all of us. I can distract him long enough for you guys to sneak over and hit him when he least expects it."

"How will we know when to come after you?"

"I'll call you when I'm ready so make sure you're listening. You mind getting me there?"

Castiel nodded and reached for Sam's head, but pulled it back.

"Sam, you're not planning to take Dean on by yourself, are you?"

"What?" Sam's voice went up an octave and he tried to lower it. "No."

"Because it's not really Dean. Nothing you say will have any effect-"

"I know, Cas. I'll find out where Dean is, then I'll call you, okay? No tricks."

Castiel reluctantly put his hands on Sam's forehead, and he was gone.

"You know he's lying right? I can't be the only who notices anything around here, can I?"

"Yes, I know. Once Sam realizes that he needs our help, he will ask for it."

Crowley raised his eyebrows and stuck his hands in his pockets. "If you're sure."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Castiel just stared off deep in thought until Crowley's voice snapped him out of it.

"C'mon, tell me about April. Bet you had loads of fun."

"She tortured me."

"Sounds like me kind of fun. Anything interesting happen beforehand?"

"Why do you care?"

"Just passing the time. The longer Moosey takes, the better you and I get to know each other."

Castiel narrowed his eyes. "Something's wrong."

"Nothing wrong with a little friendly conversation."

"No, Crowley, with Sam. He should have called for us by now."

"Well, he is stubborn enough to try his own way before asking for help. He is a Winchester."

"I'm going after him."

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Fine." He whined.

They both appeared in the street of the small Michigan town. Castiel concentrated as he scanned the city for any sign of Dean or Sam.

"He's gone." Castiel declared.

"Well, I could've told you that."

"No, from the city completely. Dean must have found Sam and taken him somewhere else."

"I would've."

"Crowley this is serious. We need to find Sam."

"Okay, fine. What's the plan?"

"Can you find him?"

Crowley snorted. "Oh, since angel boy can't do it himself, now he asks for my help."

"Can you find Sam or not?"

"Not."

"Why not?"

"He's with Dean now. As long as Dean has that hex bag, I can't find them any better than you."

"We need to do something."

"Fine. If you come up with a plan, I'm all ears. But for now, all we have is the power of positive thinking and that doesn't seem to be doing any good. So I'll keep hoping while you think of something."

Crowley smirked at the angel. "Floor's all yours, Cassie."

* * *

Okay, so maybe Sam was lying. He just had to believe that deep down, Dean would still be in there. Sam wanted to get Dean back without having to put Dean through one of the trials. Even though they weren't doing it for trial's sake, he still feared how Dean might be affected.

He didn't have to wait long for Dean to pop up behind him.

"Back so soon, Sammy?" Dean teased.

"Dean, listen to me. I don't want to fight you. I just want to talk."

Dean sneered. "Sure." He unexpectedly took a hold of Sam's arm and zapped them both away. "Hope you don't mind if we chat here. Wouldn't want anyone interrupting us. Ya know, just in case you thought about bringing your friends."

"_There goes Plan B. This better work." _Sam hoped.

"Dean, it's me, your brother. You don't want to do this."

"Oh, I know who you are, Sammy. And yeah," He stepped towards Sam. "I _really _do." He swung his fist and nailed Sam in the jaw. Sam stumbled backwards and spit the blood out of his mouth.

"I know you're in there, Dean. You're always there when I need you, and I need you now, okay? You don't want to do this to me. Remember all those times you saved my ass?"

"I do remember. But what I don't remember, was getting a damn thank you!" He shouted the last words as he slammed his fist into Sam's face again. This time Sam fell over. Dean pulled him up by the jacket collar.

"Honestly, Sam," He punched Sam again, "It's not just that you never thanked me for keeping my pain in the ass little brother alive," He yanked Sam up by the hair, "It's that I never get a thank you for putting up with your constant bitching!" With his free hand he hit Sam again.

"You took a whole damn year to get over your little trip downstairs! I went down there too, Sam, but did I ever complain?" This time he hit Sam in the throat causing pained gasps to pass his blood stained mouth.

"Dean…" Sam whispered.

"Sure, I had one moment of weakness after that run in with Alastair," Dean continued ignoring Sam's plea. "But after that, I kept my damn mouth shut. Ya know why?" He forced Sam's head up and Sam stared into Dean's eyes silently pleading to reach his brother. No such luck. "Cuz I didn't want you to see me so weak!" He let go of Sam's hair and he dropped to the ground. "Do ya think I'm weak now, Sammy?"

Dean loomed over Sam's barely conscious body. He kicked Sam's chest several times until he heard the snap of a few of his ribs. Dean lifted his foot and pressed down until Sam started wheezing, his face wincing in pain.

"Not… weak…" Sam managed to gasp out.

"What's that, Sammy?" Dean asked sweetly as he pushed his foot down harder. Sam's eyes went wide and he inhaled sharply.

"You're… not… weak… g-gotta… fight… Dean… please."

Dean lifted his foot and for a second Sam thought he got through to him; only a second. The demon pushed out a flat palm and Sam flew backward to the wall. Instead of falling over, Dean kept him pinned.

"Finally gonna make sure no has to put up with any more of your crap." Dean made a half fist and Sam felt the invisible hand wrap around his neck. He tried to claw at the unseen force, but his arms were held steady against the wall.

Sam's vision started greying, when the grip suddenly vanished. As Sam fell to the ground catching his breath, he saw Dean lying unconscious on the floor. He tried to make out the two other figures, but darkness claimed him before he got the chance.

* * *

I was almost ready to post this a little earlier, but then my friend invited me over so sorry for the slight delay. Going back to school tomorrow and while I'm not paying attention to anything my teachers are saying, I'll be writing away! I actually get more done at school than at home. Probably cuz I'm willing to do anything to avoid actual schoolwork…


	7. All the Sinners Crawl

So I thought I was gonna finish this chapter yesterday at school, but it ended up being a snow day. So all day I just in my computer chair and read instead wrote. Luckily, (for you guys anyway) there was school today so I actually did finish! Huh, so while I'm at home, I forgot to work on this, but at school, it's like all I paid attention to…

* * *

_The angel walked under the archway and eyed the young man standing by the table._

"_Hey, Sam." Kevin called without looking up. "Hey, do you notice anything a little bit off about Dean lately? Between you and me, I'm a little bit worried about him." _

_Unblinkingly the angel approached him. "Do not worry about Dean." He stepped closer. "Dean will be fine." He sharply raised his hand and placed it on Kevin's head. Over the sound of Kevin's screaming, Gadreel heard "NO! KEVIN!" being shouted from across the room. He released his hand and the boy crumpled to the floor. The angel held out his hand and pushed Dean against the wall._

"_Sam?"_

"_There is no more Sam. But, I played him convincingly, I thought."_

"_Let him go!"_

_Gadreel ignored him and began to walk up the stairs to the bunker door._

"_If you walk away, I will find you! I will hunt you down, and I swear to God, I will kill you!"_

_The angel stopped. In the blink of an eye, Gadreel flapped his wings and stood in front of Dean._

"_I was going to allow you to live, Dean. This clearly would have been a mistake."_

_He extended his hand and reached for Dean's head._

"_Sam! Sam! _Sam!" Dean's voice had started to sound like Castiel's. "Sam, wake up."

A sudden sting on his cheek caused Sam's eyes to snap open. He rubbed his face and felt the heat of the blow slowly fading. His eyes darted from Castiel, to Crowley, then to his brother's unconscious form on the floor. His brother, unconscious, but alive.

"_Just a dream, just a dream." _He thought, inwardly relieved. "Did you just slap me?" Sam asked still slightly dazed.

Crowley raised his hand. "That would be me."

Sam scowled at him and stood up. He winced as the movement irritated his aching chest. He looked back to Dean and felt guilt panging in his stomach. He hadn't gotten through to Dean, and now he had to pay for it.

"So…" Crowley interrupted Sam's thoughts. "We just gonna stare at each other, or we gonna get this done?"

As Sam opened his mouth, Castiel took hold of Sam's arm and they vanished from the building.

They appeared outside of the church Sam had been in when he healed Crowley. Well, tried to anyway.

"Ah, memories." Crowley said as he popped up behind them holding Dean at his side. Sam's nose flared at the sight of Crowley manhandling his brother. Logic finally found its way back into Sam's mind and he looked at Castiel, puzzled.

"Wait, how did you guys find me?"

"I am not sure what caused it, but while I was trying to track you down, the warding stopped working."

"Yeah, that would be the cracked ribs." Sam grumbled putting a hand against his chest.

Without hesitation Castiel placed his hand on Sam's chest. Sam first felt the realignment of his ribs, and then a short burn as Castiel reinforced the sigil. Sam groaned quietly and muttered thanks.

"Come on." Castiel said. "We need to get Dean secured before he wakes up."

Sam took Dean from Crowley and gently dragged him through the church doors. When he stepped inside he was surprised to find everything already set up. The chair with devil's traps sat in the middle of a spray painted devil's trap in the centre of the room.

"When did all this get here?"

"While I was trying to find you, Crowley prepared everything for the ritual."

"Really?" Sam asked doubtfully.

"Hey," Crowley snapped, "I keep my bargains. How many more times do I have to prove it?"

"Just one more time would be nice."

Crowley stuck his tongue out at Sam who rolled his eyes in response.

"Alright, well. Guess I'd better… purify my blood." He subconsciously rubbed his arms thinking about the abuse they were about to go through. "You mind giving me some space?" He gestured to the confession booth. Crowley finished securing Dean and looked up at Sam.

"Aw, what's wrong? Sammy doesn't want us to know how bad a boy he's been?"

He snapped his finger before seeing Sam's so called 'bitchface'. Castiel glanced over to Sam.

"Good luck." And he disappeared.

Sam looked at Dean again, grateful that he was still unconscious. He made his way over to the confession box and closed the door.

"Hey uh… It's me… again. Not much has really changed but uh…" He sighed and closed his eyes. "I let my brother down… again. He gave up a lot to save me… and… I turned my back on him… again." He chuckled. "Sound like a broken record. I hate letting him down so much so… I'm hoping, maybe… maybe this can make things right… I'm sorry, Dean."

"How sweet." Sam's head shot up taken back by Dean's condescending voice. He stepped out of the booth and swallowed as he saw Dean's malicious grin. He flashed his eyes black for good measure. "As long as you're sorry, I suppose that makes everything okay!"

"Dean, I really am. I know it doesn't mean anything now, but I don't blame you for what you did. You did what you had to… and I forgive you."

Dean threw his head back in mocking laughter. "That's adorable, Sammy, but it won't do you any good now."

"_It will in the long run."_

Sam peeked at his watch. He had to make sure everything was timed just right. He went to the table and took out a needle. He poised it above the vein in his arm, and he stuck it in. He flinched slightly at the pinch of the syringe taking his blood.

Sam approached Dean with shaking fingers holding the needle.

"_I really don't want to do this." _His conscience screamed at him.

As calm as Dean had tried to be, fear slipped through as he saw the blood filled syringe drawing closer to him. He started thrashing, despite his tightly applied restraints. When Sam brought his hand close enough, Dean whipped his head and bit down trying to hit Sam. Sam yanked his hand back before Dean had the chance.

"If you were yourself right now, I'd smack you." Sam scolded. He stepped away from Dean, and called out the church doors. "Hey! I could use some help here!" Sam waited for the angel to pop up, and jumped at the voice coming from behind him.

"What can I do?" Sam turned to Castiel.

"Geez, Cas, there's a front door for a reason."

"I used it." Sam jumped again at the other voice.

"Seriously, Crowley?" The demon smirked at him. "Dean's putting up a fight."

"Did you expect him not to?" Crowley condescended.

"Not helping."

"How can I help?" Castiel asked.

"Just… could you maybe, hold him down?"

"We could just knock him unconscious." Crowley suggested with an eager grin.

"He can't pass the mark if he's out cold." Sam pointed out.

"Fine, we'll do it your way."

Dean heard the multiple pairs of footsteps and smiled smugly.

"What's a matter, Sammy?" Am I too much for you to handle on your own?"

They all ignored him and Castiel grabbed his head from behind, keeping it in place.

"Whoa there, Cas. If you're gonna play like that, you oughtta but me a drink first."

Castiel tipped Dean's head so his Sam had easy access to his neck. Sam debated between jabbing the needle in quickly to get it over with, or to push it in slowly and try not to hurt his brother any further. He finally decided to jam it in when he saw how hard Castiel was trying to keep Dean under control.

Dean hissed at the suddenness of the needle plunging into his neck. Having blood injected through your neck was a strange sensation. Sure, he'd had blood sucked _out _of his neck, but never forced into it.

Sam looked at Dean hoping to see any difference.

"I think I'm a changed man now, Sammy. Why don't you let me outta here, so I can prove it to you."

Crowley sighed. "This is gonna be a long night."

* * *

Yeah it really will, Crowley, particularly for everyone who now has to wait for the next chapter. If ya'll know me, you know it won't be too long for an update. Especially now that school's back.


	8. The Blood's Run Stale

Many thanks to my science teacher who gave us notes today, so every second I wasn't writing notes, I was doing this! And bonus thanks to my math teacher for never being interesting enough to keep my attention! Let's hope to gosh they don't see this then…

* * *

Sam could feel it starting. His arms had already started to faintly glow, silhouetting the veins. He tried to hide the fever, but the sweat droplets were kind of a giveaway, so he kept his back turned on Dean.

"What's wrong, Sammy?" Dean mocked. "Getting a little hot in here? Sorry, maybe I should leave."

Sam almost laughed. "Even now, you still have the humor of a five year old."

"A pair of black eyes ain't gonna change me."

"Except for all those people you killed."

"Well, I can't let all these awesome powers go to waste, now can I? Ya know, Sammy," Sam twitched at the hateful way Dean said his name. "Maybe if you hadn't run off on me, I could've killed you, and been done." Sam's stomach turned and guilt gnawed at his heart. "But no, you had to run away… again. Suppose that's all you do nowadays, isn't it?"

Sam clenched his hand into a fist and steadied himself against the table. The worst part about what Dean was saying is that Sam knew it was true. Dean wouldn't be saying it if it weren't.

"Oh, I hit a little close to home, huh?" Dean taunted.

That almost set Sam off. Back when he was detoxing from the demon blood, Sam had hallucinated Dean saying those exact words to him. Only, this wasn't a hallucination. This really was Dean.

Sam snapped back to the present and looked at his watch.

"_Oh, crap!" _he scrambled for the needle and stabbed it in his arm with not care whatsoever. He yanked it out and blood dripped out freely. He shoved the needle into Dean's unsuspecting neck who hissed (seriously did Dean just hiss?) at him in response.

Relieved to have done it in time, Sam moved the needle from his brother more cautiously.

"So, didn't quite miss it? Oh well, can't blame a guy for trying." Dean said with a shrug of his shoulders. Dean stiffly cracked his neck and his muscles tensed as he felt the blood enter his system. With each hit of blood, it caused the mark to burn a little hotter.

"_He can't get you if you have the mark." _Dean reminded himself._ "Just hold on a little longer. One he gives up, he'll be so broken, he'll _let _me slit his throat."_

* * *

"Should we really have left him alone with Dean?" Castiel questioned.

"The big boy can handle himself, let him live a little. If he needs any help, he'll call the babysitters."

Castiel tilted his head at Crowley.

"Us, Cassie. I mean us." He explained rolling his eyes.

Castiel narrowed his eyes and looked down. "I need a moment with Sam."

"Spare me the details." Crowley said sarcastically.

"Keep an eye on Dean." He instructed the demon.

"Aw, look who's starting to trust me. Was that so hard?"

"It's not pleasant."

"Ouch, Cassie."

Castiel almost beamed himself inside, but remembered Sam's reaction to his last sudden appearance. He knocked on the church door. After a seemingly long time of waiting, it finally opened, revealing a worn out and exhausted Sam.

"Sam, I need to speak with you." Castiel stated.

Sam turned his head behind him slowly, too slowly for Castiel's liking. "What about Dean?"

"I'll take good care of him." Crowley told him as he popped up behind him. He chuckled at Sam's small jump. Sam turned his attention to Crowley.

"Would you knock it off? And I swear, if you do anything to him-"

"What could I possibly do that I wouldn't've had an opportunity to do before? What is it with you people? Be honest, if it the whole demon thing?" Crowley turned his eyes red, something he never does, so it earned to startled glances from Sam and Castiel. He smirked and nudged Sam out the door. "Enjoy your chat."

"What's up, Cas?" Sam wasn't even aware of how weak he sounded.

"Sam," Castiel exhaled. "What are you planning to do if this doesn't work?"

"It will." Sam told him in a 'matter of fact' tone.

"But if it doesn't, we need to be prepared to take care of him."

"What are you saying, Cas?"

Castiel closed his eyes and shook his head. "He's killed multiple people already, we can't allow him continue if this doesn't work."

"Yeah, well what did you have in mind, Cas? We're not gonna even think about killing him. Even if it came to that, we wouldn't be able to anyway, so you can forget it."

"But, if necessary, we would have to send him back to Hell."

"NO!" Sam shouted. "He almost lost it last time and I'm not gonna put him through that again! This is gonna work. Just… It will." He looked at his watch. "I gotta get back to Dean."

"Sam," Castiel grabbed Sam's arm. He could feel heat radiating off from it. "It's been three hours, shouldn't something have happened?"

Sam wrenched out of Castiel's grip. "It's working, Trust me. Now just… let me do this."

He pushed the doors open and stepped back into the church. He eyed Crowley and his brother cautiously.

"He say anything?" Sam asked.

"He said I was short." Crowley replied keeping his focus on Dean. "And a few other things I'm sure he wouldn't want his baby brother to hear. Almost hurt my feelings."

"I'm gonna hurt a lot more if you don't let me out!" Dean spat.

"Oh, like you don't plan on killing us either way." Crowley snapped back. Crowley's attention went to Sam who was now pulling the red liquid filled needle out of his arm again. "Ooh, time for another hit already?"

Crowley grabbed Dean's head a lot harsher than Castiel had, and titled it so far, it put a strain on his neck.

"Geez, Crowley!" Dean hissed.

"We all know you like it rough, Dean." Crowley said with a teasing smile.

Dean growled at him as the needle pierced his skin. His arms tugged at the metal cuffs littered with devil's traps.

Cain's mark started stinging again, but now it was like shots of ice cold water coursing through his veins. The unexpected pain made him dizzy, and his head lolled forward. He brought it back up slowly, his mossy green eyes meeting Sam's. A flicker of humanity seeped through his gaze. "Sammy?" His head dropped down, and his eyes closed again.

"Dean?!" Sam held Dean's head up, and tried to get Dean to look back at him again. Dean shot his head up, and snapped his eyes open. They were still hauntingly black.

"I was just messing with you, Sammy."

Sam backed up out of the devil's trap in disbelief. Castiel went up to him.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but I think we should start to consider-"

Sam cut him off by grabbing him by the collar of his trench coat and spun him against the wall.

"Didn't you see that?! The way he looked at me?"

"Sam, the demon was just-"

"No, Cas! I know my brother and that was him!" He released Castiel and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just… I have to keep going okay? It's working. I can feel it."

Castiel nodded. "Fine, Sam, but if we try this for too long, you may not last much longer."

Sam slowly huffed out a breath. "I know."

* * *

So yeah, lots of angry Sam. What do you guys think? Was Deanmon faking it, or is Dean starting to come back? O.o… Stay tuned! Next chapter in progress!


	9. At the Curtain's Call

Last chapter ya'll! In case you forgot, I'll remind you that I handwrote this whole thing before typing it out and it's 33 pages long! That's a lot of writing, so I hope it was worth it! Of course the first song my iPod starts playing has to be Demons. By the way, amazing song and everyone should listen to it. Got lots of angst in store for both brothers, and possibly my readers too. And since I haven't said it yet, I don't own anything Supernatural. Well, except for the soundtrack, and my t-shirts but I'm not sure those count…

* * *

Sam could only keep track of the hours by counting to holes in his arm: six. He'd been going at it for six hours and the only flash of humanity Dean showed was from the fourth time. A nagging voice kept trying to convince him that maybe Dean had been faking.

"_No, it was definitely Dean! It has to be…"_

Castiel and Crowley had finally left him alone again, although with the mood Sam was in, they didn't need much convincing.

Dean had been keeping his mouth shut, and Sam prayed that it was a good sign.

"_Here we go again." _Sam grumbled inwardly. He didn't even feel the needle prick his skin, it was numbed by the stinging pain in his radiating arms. He silently prayed as he pushed the needle into Dean's neck.

Instead of thrashing around, or trying to bite Sam, Dean moaned lightly and slowly rolled up his head to meet Sam's gaze.

"Dean? That you in there?" Sam wished, cupping Dean's head in his hand.

'S-Sam?" Dean's voice was weary. "I'm… sorry."

Sam smiled and laughed shakily. "It's okay, Dean. It's gonna be okay."

Dean's mouth turned up weakly as he tried to give a comforting glance to his brother.

"Dean, listen to me, there's not a lot of time, okay? You gotta give me Cain's mark."

Dean blinked groggily. "What?"

"I don't have time to explain, okay? You gotta do this."

"It'll… turn you." Dean managed to sputter out between gasps.

"You gotta trust me, Dean. I'll be okay." Dean looked fearfully at Sam. Sam stared pleadingly into his brother's eyes. "Please."

Dean slowly closed his eyes and nodded. He opened up his clenched fist and Sam took hold of his wrist.

The mark began transferring to Sam. It was like the sensation of getting a tattoo, but that the needle was made of fire. Geez, did Dean have to deal with this? If it did hurt him this badly, he did a damn good job hiding it.

Once it was over, Sam stared at his arm, and then back to his brother.

"Dean, you with me?" He pleaded as he clutched his arm. Dean smiled at him, not a smile saying 'gotcha again,' or 'nice try' but a 'good to be back little brother' smile.

"Hey, Sammy." Sam almost burst into tears of relief at the way Dean said his name without a hint of condescension.

"Dean! Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah, you maybe wanna let me outta these?" He asked tugging on the cuffs.

Sam chuckled and shook his head. "Good to have you back, Dean. Here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to the handcuffs.

He suddenly dropped the key and grabbed his arm that was shooting pain all over his arm.

"Sam?" Dean shouted. "Sam! What's going on?"

Sam fell to his knees, and shortly, after he fell on his back. His face winced in pain as he tried to answer Dean.

"The… mark." He let out a short yelp as the fire began to spread through him.

"Hang on, Sammy! Hey! Cas, get your ass in here! Castiel!" He tried to turn his head towards the sound of wings flapping, but he was still securely restrained.

Without saying a word, Castiel made his way over to Dean. He passed his hand over the cuffs and they snapped off. The second he was loose, Dean rushed to his brother's side.

"Sammy! C'mon talk to me!" He whipped his head towards Castiel. "What the hell's happening to him?"

"He is battling with the Mark of Cain." Castiel tried to explain calmly.

"The hell you mean battling?" Dean barked.

"By transferring the mark to him, he now must overcome its power in order to destroy it."

"Yeah, and if he doesn't?"

Castiel hesitated. "Then it will destroy him."

Dean's eyes shot open and he turned his attention back to Sam. He had started jerking and lashing out, unable to control himself. It was as if the mark was sending electric currents through his whole body. Short gasps escaped from his throat.

"Sam," Dean said as moisture filled his eyes. "You're stronger than this. You can fight it, Sammy."

Simultaneously Sam's back arched and his eyes snapped open. They sporadically changed from their regular brown to a fierce black.

Dean could tell that Sam was not only fighting the mark, but the urge to scream. As much as he tried to hide the pain, small pants, more like whimpers made their way through.

The sight of Sam, scared, no, terrified Dean. His brother was writhing on the floor, eyes flashing black, and in seriously pain. And it was all Dean's fault. If Dean hadn't been foolish enough to accept Cain's mark, Sam wouldn't have to deal with this.

This was all Sam's fault. If he could've been there for Dean, he wouldn't have left with Crowley and gotten himself into this mess. Maybe all this suffering he had to endure was what he deserved for abandoning his brother. Maybe this was justice.

Castiel felt so useless. His friends were both suffering in one way or another, and all he could do was watch. Why was it always the Winchesters? Eventually, he left the scene, unable to see them in pain any longer.

Crowley had stayed outside of the church. His part was done, so he snapped away from the action. Being King of Hell meant he had bigger problems, like making people wait in line.

* * *

Sam finally gave up and started screaming. He had had enough and it was taking up too much of his energy to hold back his cries. The only thing that hurt more than the fire spreading through him, was knowing Dean had to see him like this.

"_Dean!" _He had to keep fighting for Dean. He wasn't going to let his brother see the hope die in his eyes.

Just as the pain almost consumed him completely, he cried out a final gut wrenching scream. He didn't scream in fear or pain, but in strength. He fought against the pain one last time, and a rush of ice swan down his arm, accompanied by a small sizzle. The coolness swept through his whole body and the pain receded.

He fluttered his eyelids open. He instinctively reached for his arm, but the burn of the mark was gone. As his focus returned, he saw that the mark had vanished all together.

"Sammy?"

Sam blinked several times. "Did I miss anything?"

Dean yanked Sam up and held him tight in his arms. Sam returned the gesture.

"Sammy, I'm so sorry." Dean's voice shook with relief for Sam, and hatred for himself.

"You couldn't help it, Dean. It wasn't you." Sam comforted.

Dean pulled out of the hug and stared straight at Sam. "Don't tell me that, okay? That was me. Every single thing I've tried to hide just came up all at once and I couldn't stop it. I tried to fight it, but I just… I had so much hate stuck inside me… I couldn't control myself."

He rubbed a hand over his face and continued. "I wish to God I'd never taken that damn mark in the first place, Sammy. I'm so sorry."

Sam shook his head. "I don't blame you for any of it, Dean. If anyone else had to go through half the crap we have, they would've cracked a long time ago. Some of that crap is gonna come up eventually. Hell, you of all people should know that. I've turned my back on you so many… too many times… but you still stuck with me, Dean. After everything I've put you through. That was too much to ask for, Dean. I didn't deserve that from you, and you damn sure didn't deserve this."

Sam shut his eyes and inhaled heavily. "It's done. We can forget it now." He suddenly let out a sharp and uneven laugh.

"What?"

"Dean, it's over. Abaddon's dead."

"Yeah." Dean smiled with him for a moment. "But there's still the angels." Dean pointed out.

Sam laughed harder than he had in a long time. "You can't let us have one good minute, can you?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders innocently. "What can I say? I still hate chick flick moments."

Sam closed his eyes and chuckled. "Welcome back."

* * *

And thus marks the end to another story, and this was a long one too! I'd love to know what you thought and HUGE thanks to all of you for reading! And thank God for Eric Kripke for inventing these amazing characters! Now that this story is over, what am i gonna do? Hmm... well i could start my take home math test... Or i could start another fan fiction... Yeah, that's a tough one ;). Ya'll will be hearing from me again soon!


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